In Revelation 4:8-11 we read, “And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. (9) And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, (10) The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, (11) Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”

“All Hail the Power of Jesus Name,” one of the truly great worship hymns of the church, is sometimes called the “National Anthem of Christendom.” Written by a young English minister, it was published in 1779 and has been translated into almost every language where Christianity is known. The strong exuberant lines lead us to heartfelt worship of God each time we sing them. But what does it mean to worship?

The word WORSHIP denotes the giving of reverent praise to an object of superlative worth. WORSHIP is the cornerstone of a believer’s life. The bedrock of the local church is its WORSHIP service, and all aspects of the church’s ministry are found here. It is only as Christians truly WORSHIP that they begin to grow spiritually. True WORSHIP is an act by a redeemed creature, man, toward God his Creator, where his will, intellect, and emotions gratefully respond to the revelation of God’s person expressed in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, as the Holy Spirit illuminates the written word to his heart.

We can be thankful God moved an 18th century writer to compose this stirring hymn reminding us, so forcibly, that the angels in heaven and ransomed souls from “every kindred, every tribe” on earth are worshipping with us even now. One day, we will all join together in singing “the everlasting song” when Christ is crowned “Lord of all.”

Edward Perronet the author of “All Hail the Power of Jesus Name” came from a family of distinguished French Huguenots who had fled to Switzerland and then England to escape religious persecution. He was ordained to the ministry of the Anglican Church, but because he was sympathetic to the evangelical movement lead by John and Charles Wesley, he soon joined in their evangelistic endeavors. Although he wrote a number of hymns, this is the only one for which he will be remembered.

All hail the power of Jesus name! Let angels prostate fall;

Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown Him Lord of all!

Ye chosen seed of Israel’s race, ye ransomed from the fall,

Hail Him who saves you by His grace, and crown Him Lord of all!

Let every kindred, every tribe, on this terrestrial ball,

To Him all majesty ascribe, and crown Him Lord of all!

O that with yonder throng, ye at His feet may fall!

We’ll join the everlasting song, and crown Him Lord of all!

For a moment, pause and reflect with joyous anticipation upon that time in heaven when our “everlasting song” will be shared and echoed throughout eternity with those from “every kindred and every tribe.”

This week in our Weekly SERMONS we continue our studies from the book of James. The Lord bless as you meditate on the passage from James 1:2-4, 12, “Rejoicing Under Pressure.”

In His Amazing Grace,

“Prayer does not fit us for the greater work, prayer is the greater work.”

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